Ranger Devotion and Empower

[Vanshilar]

I was wondering about the importance of Ranger Devotion and Empower to a ranger.

1) Do rangers (or are rangers expected to) heal a lot? It seems like with a fairly small SP pool that also gets used for other things, the healing capacity of a ranger is fairly limited. So is Ranger Devotion something worthwhile to get? I don't know if most rangers just rely on the healer(s) in the group or cure wands for heals.

2) What is the utility of empower (or maximize) to a ranger? Working out the math, it doesn't seem like it's very efficient. It seems like a cure serious heals for an average of 28.5 HP for 25 SP, while an empowered cure serious heals for an average of 42.75 HP for 35 SP. The SP => HP conversion ratio improves by just 7%, which doesn't seem like all that much. So why take empower? Is it that you can spend less time healing and more time fighting? But in that case, it would seem like whether or not the group's healer is using mass healing comes into play (i.e. whether or not you're tanking so much that you're the "trigger" for the healer to decide to cast it).

[Hadrian]

1) It's usually used for self healing.

2) There are several ways to regain spell points in the game, and with a decent starting wisdom and a green steel item for additional SPs you will rarely come close to running out of SPs just using them for buffs.

You might want to switch over from Empower Healing to Maximize in the end. It's more expensive but your heals will also be much bigger.

[Cherry]

I think you're wasting a feat by taking Empower or Maximize on a Ranger. I've got a bunch of Rangers and taking either of those feats never crossed my mind. There are a number of better options out there.

[roggane]

With the limited amount of spell points rangers get in relation to clerics/fvs there's really no reason you should be taking a metamagic feat to improve healing.

Use the enhancement line and add an item if you want to use but don't waste a feat on better healing.

[Shade]

I expect a ranger to spend the entire quest healing me.

But they always seem to use all there sp on giving me barkskin to bring my AC up from 4 to 9 instead (around 5 times too as I keep casting stoneskin after so they get confused and re-cast it)

Hmm maybe you can be that 1 ranger that uses his spellpoints more wisely?

nahh... Thats crazy talk.

[Coalrymer187]

I expect a ranger to spend the entire quest healing me.

But they always seem to use all there sp on giving me barkskin to bring my AC up from 4 to 9 instead (around 5 times too as I keep casting stoneskin after so they get confused and re-cast it)

Hmm maybe you can be that 1 ranger that uses his spellpoints more wisely?

nahh... Thats crazy talk.

What?!? Ranger's dont get spells.... .... ....

[totmacher]

ranger healing is pretty nice, i hit myself for 70-80 a pop with a sup dev 4 ring on and the 4 enhancements... i mean when you have like 855 sp, a bauble (so another 105-660 on top of that) and for 20 sp of healing a shot, it's very nice. if i had empower, it would be even crazier...

[Hadrian]

With the limited amount of spell points rangers get in relation to clerics/fvs there's really no reason you should be taking a metamagic feat to improve healing.

You don't have to heal a party, but it's easy enough to get over 700 sp. You can heal yourself just fine without the need for any outside help. Adding 50% to 100% effect on a heal has obvious benefits in combat.

You only need so many feats, and toward the end some builds run out of the obvious choices and are looking at things like "do I take a second improved critical?"

In that case, a boost to your self healing becomes a very reasonable option.

[roggane]

You don't have to heal a party, but it's easy enough to get over 700 sp. You can heal yourself just fine without the need for any outside help. Adding 50% to 100% effect on a heal has obvious benefits in combat.

You only need so many feats, and toward the end some builds run out of the obvious choices and are looking at things like "do I take a second improved critical?"

In that case, a boost to your self healing becomes a very reasonable option.

yes you can get quite a bit of sp pts with a shroud item, etc.

i don't know about you but wasting a feat on metamagic for a ranger just doesn't make much sense, i.e. don't know how many builds are considering a second imp crit or have a slot to waste, esp if tempest.

[Hadrian]

Well, mine for one.

[Osharan_Tregarth]

ranger healing is pretty nice, i hit myself for 70-80 a pop with a sup dev 4 ring on and the 4 enhancements... i mean when you have like 855 sp, a bauble (so another 105-660 on top of that) and for 20 sp of healing a shot, it's very nice. if i had empower, it would be even crazier...

I have an 18/2 Ranger/Fighter, that right now is running around with maximize and quicken. With the healing amp, devotion lines, and a devotion item, I'm hitting myself for between 130-180 points a cure serious. Basically gives me the equivalent of about 9 lay on hands after buffing.

Ranger cure serious costs 25 sp a pop, so you're not actually gaining anything by picking up empower rather than maximize. (25+15) for +50%, or (25+25) for +100%

[Hadrian]

Ranger cure serious costs 25 sp a pop, so you're not actually gaining anything by picking up empower rather than maximize. (25+15) for +50%, or (25+25) for +100%

If you were going to take empower, it would be empower healing and not the general version.

So you spend 40% more SP for a 50% boost to healing or 100% more sp for a 100% boost to healing. So the trade off is efficiency for strength of effect.

You can heal for 2x , but it will cost 100 sp to heal twice. You can heal for 1.5x, but it will only cost 105 sp to heal 3 times.

[Nysrock]

Personally I use Ranger Devotion IV, Lorrik's Bracers (+20% Healing), the Reavers gloves (Healing spell crit) and a Superior Potency VI Dwarven axe on my dwarf ranger. I usually can cast CSW for 70-80 a pop and can spell crit for up to 150. Sometimes it makes all the difference between still standing and lying face down when the clerics are busy. Plus it opens up more soloing options for you.

[Adrahil]

Properly spec'd out, a Ranger can self-heal with the best of them. On my ranger, I have the following:

Ranger Devotion 4
Maximize
Quicken
Sup. potency 4 scepter
Shroud 30% healing amp. rapier
(Hound +20% healing at times as well)

Combine that with always-on Torc and Concordant Opposition item, I can self-heal through absolutely anything. I've got 747 SP on my ranger, each cure serious hits me for just shy of 200pts and is fairly affordable (spell point wise). If you're looking to be self sufficient, Maximize is hands down one of the best feats you can take (if you have gear / room for it).

[sephiroth1084]

I grabbed Empower Healing on my ranger at 18 and haven't regretted taking it for a moment! Being able to self heal for 80-100 HP is really nice. If I can get a Torq on him, I'll probably swap to Maximize.

It's very easy to get 400+ SP with a starting 10 Wis, and not difficult to get over 600 (still working on my Concordant Opp +150 SP item).

As it stands, I end up with tons of SP leftover if all I'm doing is buffing--most characters have no use for Barkskin, as Shade pointed out, many have their own resists or protects, and things like Jump and Tumble are rarely needed. Why not get the ability to heal yourself well, and have the option of saving someone else's bacon in a pinch?

[Osharan_Tregarth]

If you were going to take empower, it would be empower healing and not the general version.

So you spend 40% more SP for a 50% boost to healing or 100% more sp for a 100% boost to healing. So the trade off is efficiency for strength of effect.

You can heal for 2x , but it will cost 100 sp to heal twice. You can heal for 1.5x, but it will only cost 105 sp to heal 3 times.

Ya, that's a good point. I'd debated between the two when I specc'd my guy for self healing, and decided that maximize worked out better for my needs. But I'd forgetten in the meantime that empower healing was cheaper.